Trump Administration Takes 10% Stake in Trilogy Metals, Approves Alaska Ambler Road
A New Era for U.S. Resource Security
The move reverses the Biden administration’s earlier block on the project, which will open vast copper and cobalt reserves to U.S. development.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the decision ensures “critical mineral supplies that will benefit the American people,” citing copper’s role in defense, clean energy, and technology.
The Ambler Road, long opposed by environmental groups, will connect remote Arctic deposits to U.S. infrastructure, giving Washington new leverage in the race to secure non-Chinese supplies of copper, gallium, and germanium.
Market Impact: Critical Metals Supercycle Reloaded
The announcement triggered an immediate surge across mining equities:
- Trilogy Metals (TMQ) soared more than 200% Tuesday, trading at its highest levels since 2021.
- Lithium Americas (LAC) — already up 184% in the past month — extended gains as traders speculated on additional federal stakes.
- MP Materials (MP) and USA Rare Earth both advanced sharply on expectations that similar government partnerships could follow.
The pattern is clear: Washington’s new approach blends industrial policy with equity investment. The federal government now directly owns stakes in companies spanning the critical-minerals chain — from lithium extraction to rare earth magnets — marking a profound shift in U.S. resource strategy.
Day-Trading Setups
- TMQ — Momentum trade of the week. Watch for intraday consolidations above $6.80 with breakout potential toward $8.00. Use $5.70 as the downside stop zone.
- LAC — Extended but tradable. Look for dip-buy setups near $7.00 with scalp targets into $7.75.
- MP — Watch pre-market volume and VWAP reactions; breakout above $74.50 could trigger squeeze toward $77.00.
Swing-Trading and Sector Themes
- Long bias: TMQ, LAC, MP, and rare-earth juniors tied to U.S. defense procurement. Expect multi-week trend continuation if copper and lithium spot prices firm.
- Rotation trade: Trim into parabolic strength in TMQ; recycle gains into undervalued critical-mineral names with federal-funding exposure.
- ETF watch: PICK (iShares Global Metals & Mining) and LIT (Global X Lithium ETF) could see short-term inflows.
- Macro hedge: A Copper futures support break below would suggest profit-taking after an overextended policy rally.
Bottom Line
The Trilogy-Ambler Road announcement marks one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive steps yet to build domestic control over critical minerals.
If similar investments expand to nickel, lithium, and rare earth chains, the U.S. could trigger a second-wave “resource reindustrialization” trade. This theme began with semiconductors and is now spreading to energy metals.
For traders, the rotation into strategic metals is apparent. TMQ is today’s breakout; MP and LAC are the continuation plays.
Momentum, volume, and policy — the catalysts are all in place.